Mark Halperin’s sleazy new book (the one that snared Harry Reid and beats up on John and Elizabeth Edwards) is proof, writes Glenn Greenwald, that our media aspire to trash and gossip. This story, plus Nixon, Sinatra, Limbaugh, drugs and more after the jump.

Time’s veteran political reporter calls coverage of the 2008 election, during both the primary and general election, “the most disgusting failure of people in our business since the Iraq war” because of “extreme bias, extreme pro-Obama coverage.”

Mark Halperin tells of two “Republicans close to the situation” who say McCain has settled on Mitt Romney as his VP. Still other Republicans say the decision hasn’t been made, while The New York Times is reporting that Gen. David Petraeus could be in the running. Barack Obama, meanwhile, has made his choice, but he’s keeping hush.

During interviews with Bill O’Reilly and Sean Hannity, ABC News’ political director Mark Halperin said that the weeks before the election offer a chance for the mainstream media to prove that they understand conservatives’ grievances.